Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury's headquarters, has rejected claims made in a speech earlier this week by Conservative leader David Cameron, that Dr Rowan Williams was seeking the incorporation of Sharia law in the UK.

As questions about the fairness of UK migration policy once more come into the spotlight, the Anglican archbishops of Canterbury and York have been visiting the Oakington Immigration Detention Centre as part of a trip to Cambridge.

As the furore over Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams' remarks about religious and civil law subsides into a more considered debate beyond the headlines, the Anglican leader is receiving backing from some unexpected quarters.

Muslim lawyers say they are puzzled that Archbishop Rowan Williams raised the Sharia issue before they have had a chance to tackle some key concerns. But Evangelicals and a progressive interfaith group are calling for wider debate.

"There is no dispute about our common allegiance to the law of the land" Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams told the General Synod of the Church of England - and a watching world on TV and the internet - this afternoon.

A priminent Labour MP, speaking on behalf of the Christian Socialist Movement, has condemned the "hysterical and largely uninformed media response" to Archbishop Rowan Williams' lecture on civil and religious law in Britain.

Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams is panicking over the demise of organised Christianity’s power and influence in society and seeking a multi-faith settlement to address these concerns, a TV discussion programme heard today.